Machine for trimming cartridge-heads



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I A. L. HOWARD. MACHINE FOR TRIMMING CARTRIDGE HEADS.

N0. 311,324 Patented Jan.27,1885.

7 2 rel ZZ' I (No Model.) T 2 SheetsSheet 2. A. L. HOWARD.

MACHINE FOR TRIMMING CARTRIDGE HEADS.

No. 811,324. Patented Jan. 27, 1885.

ARTHURL. HO\VARD, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR T'RIMMING CARTRIDGE-HEADS.

ElZ' ECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,324, datedJanuary 27, 1885.

Application filed June 23, 1834.

To all whom it may concern: 3 W

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. HOWARD, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inMachines for Trimming Cartridge-Heads; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a face view of the head of a shotshell; Fig. 2, averticalsection of-the same; Fig. 3, a front view of the machine complete; Fig.4, a sectional side view; Fig. 5, a top view from below the cutter,showing the dial and jaws; Fig. 6, an under side view of the cutter-headenlarged, showing the cutters in place; Fig. 7, an edge view of one ofthe cutters enlarged; Fig. 8, a modification.

This invention relates to a machine for trimming or finishing the faceend of the heads of that class of metallic cartridge-shells designed foruse in breech-loading shot-guns, and corn monly called shot-shells. Thecentral portion of the face of the head of these shells requires to beraised slightly above the outer portion, as seen in. Figs. 1 and 2, andthe outer surface to be smoothly and nicely finished, and it is to thefinishing of this head that my invention particularly relates, theobject of my invention being the construction of a machine which, havingthe shells fed to it, may be presented to cutters and the surfaceautomatically trimmed, and the invention consists in the construction ofthe machine, as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited inthe claims.

A represents a cross head or slide arranged to be moved verticallybetween guides B B in similar manner to the cross head or slide of apower-press. The mechanism for imparting such up-and-down reciprocatingmovement to the slide may be such as usually employed in power-presses.

Ashere represented,the reciprocating move ment is imparted by aneccentric, C, on the driving-shaft D, and from which a pitman, E,extends to the slide. The mechanism for imparting such reciprocatingmovement, however, forms no part of my invention.

(No model.)

In the slide A a vertical spindle, F, is arranged in suitable bearings,G, so as to be revolved rapidly, such revolution being imparted to it bymeans of a pulley, H, on the spindle.

On the bed I of the machine is a disk, J, arranged to be rotated in ahorizontal plane. This disk has numerous pins a projecting verticallyfrom its upper surface, and in a circle concentric with the disk, and iswhat is commonly known in cartridge machinery as a pin-dial. The disk isarranged in such re lation to the spindle F that the pins in therotation of the disk will pass beneath the spindle, and so that each maystand in a vertical central line with the spindle. pins are constructedso as to receive a shell, b, which is set thereon by the operative inthe usual manner of placing shells upon the pins of the dial for anyoperation which may be required upon the head. An intermittent rotationis imparted to the disk in the usual manner of rotating such disks. Ashere represented, this rotation is imparted by a cam, K, on thedriving-shaft through a lever, L, carrying a pawl, M, at its lower end,which engages one of the notches on the edge of the periphery at eachvibratory movement of the lever L, and so as to impart to the disk onestep in its rotation to each ascent of the slide A, the length of thisstep being equal to the distance between the pins on the dial, each stepbringing one of the pins into vertical central line with the spindle F.On the lower end of the spindle a cutter-head, N, is fixed. The under orworking face of this cutter-head is shown detached in Fig. 6. In theface two cutters, d, are fixed, their" cutting -surface corresponding tothe shape of the face end of the finished shell. This cutter revolvesrapidly in a plane parallel with the plane of the dial. The shells areplaced upon the pins head up, and as each is presented in line with thespindle, as before described, they are grasped by a pair of jaws, c f.The adjacent faces of these jaws correspond to the exterior of thesurface ofthe shell. The one, 0, is formed as a part of a slide, 71,arranged for radial movement over the dial. The other jaw, f, is made asa part of a slide, 1', arranged on a guide in rear of, but in line with,the jaw 71. The back of these jaws are These ICO inclined upward andinward. A spring is apshape to the shape of the head to be finished,

plied to each, serving to draw them away from each other. On the frontof the slide A is a follower, m, and on the rear is a like follower, n.The noses of these followers as the slide descends strike, respectively,the inclined back of the jaws ef, and, continuing their descent, forcethese jaws toward each other and into the position seen in Fig. 4. Asthe slide ascends the jaws are released and permitted to retreat. As theslide ascends the dial is turned one step and brings the shell intolinewith the spindle F, and there it stands. The slide descends, thefollowers'm it bring the two jaws firmly against and so as to embraceand hold the shell to prevent its rotation, at

the same time the cutter comes upon the head of the cartridge, and,revolving, dresses or trims the head to the required shape. Then theslide rises and releases the shell from the jaws e f. The dial is againturned one step to present a second shell as well as to remove the firstfinished shell, and so on. The upand-down movement of the slidecorresponding to the feed,the machine continues its work, automaticallypresenting a new shell, trimming its head, and taking it away, it onlybeing necessary for the operative to place the shells upon the pins ofthe dial.

The cutters are constructed with a downwardly projecting flange, 1', attheir outer edge, which forms a cutter to trim the edge of the head.They are set in the cutter-head one each side the center, theirinnerpoint extending in sufficiently far to dress the head to theprimer-seat. 7

While I prefer to arrange the spindle F in a vertically-reciprocatingslide. it may be arranged in fixed bearings, so as to be reciprocatedvertically therein, as seen in Fig. 8, the pulley H also beingstationary as to vertical movement, as seen in that figure. As shown inthis illustration, the vertical reciprocating movement is imparted bymeans of a lever, I, hung to a collar, R, around the spindlesay betweenits bearings G Gthe collar R working between collars t t on the spindle.

It will be understood that there is a splineconnection between thepulley and the spindle, common in such connection between fixed pulleysand longitudinallymovable jaws or spindles. derstood as limiting myinvention to the particular devices whereby reciprocating movement isimparted to the cutter-carrying spindle or intermittent rotationimparted to the dial.

I claim 1. In a machine for trimming the heads of cartridges, thecombination of a vertical reciprocating and revolving spindle, acutterhead attached to the lower end of said spindle, provided withcutters corresponding in I therefore do not wish to be un-' mechanism,substantially such as described, to impart reciprocating and rotativemovement to said spindle, a dial arranged upon an axis parallel with theaxis of the spindle, the said dial provided with a series of pins in acircle concentric with the axis of the dial, and arranged in relation tothe said spindle so that the axis of said pins will pass the axial lineof said spindle, mechanism, substantially such as described, to impartintermittent or step-bystep rotation to said dial, whereby the said pinswill be successively presented in axial line with said spindle, and aclamp, substantially such as described, to clamp the shell upon the pinso presented to said cutter, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the spindle F, carrying the cutter-head N, saidcutter-head armed upon its face with cutters corresponding to the shapeof the head of the shell to be dressed, mechanism, substantially such asdescribed, to impart vertically reciprocating and rotative movement tosaid spindle and cutter-head, the dial J, carrying aseries of pins, a,concentric with the axis of the dial, mechanism, substantially such as'described, to impart intermittent or step-by-step rotation to said dial,the jaws e f, arranged beneath said cutterhead, and substantially in theplane of the axis of the spindle, and movable on guides in a plane atsubstantially right angles to the axis of the spindle, the face of saidjaws corresponding substantially to the external surface of the shell tobe trimmed, the backs of said jaws inclined upward and toward eachother,and reciprocating followersmmarranged to strike the backs of saidjaws in the descent of said spindle, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the slide A, mechanism, substantially such asdescribed, to impart reciprocating movement to said slide, the spindleF, arranged in bearings in said slide, and so as to partake of itsreciprocating move ment, pulley H on said spindle, whereby rotation isimparted thereto, cutter-head N on the lower end of said spindlecarrying cutters (Z (Z, the cutting-edge of which corresponds to theshape of the head of the shell to be dressed, the dial J, arranged torotate in a horizontal plane, and carrying a series of pins, a, the jawse f, their faces constructed corresponding to the external surface ofthe shells and their backs inclined, followers m a, attached to saidslide, and mechanism, substantially such as described, to impartintermittent rotation to said dial, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

ARTHUR L. HOVARD.

Vitnesses:

J H. SHUMWAY, J 0s. 0. EARLE.

IIO

